Blue Moon
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Like Anita, Harry Dresden, a freelance wizard-for-hire in Chicago, is associated with the police force, where his abilities are both appreciated and doubted. Harry is cynical yet flippant , moving among supernatural creatures while avoiding the tabloid press who want to exploit Harry's adventures. -- Katherine Johnson

Readers who prefer humor in their dark Fantasies should try Sookie Stackhouse. Although the series has gotten progressively darker, it is fun, with fast-moving plots and a much lighter tone than the Anita Blake novels. -- Krista Biggs

Dark, brooding backgrounds, intricate plots, and necromancy as practiced by tough, smart heroines tie these series together. Dante Valentine is a bounty hunter and necromancer-for-hire; Anita Blake makes time in her repertoire for detecting as well as necromancy. -- Victoria Fredrick

Both series feature fang-tastic, monster-slaying female protagonists, for whom secondary characters are powerful vehicles for musings about identity and desire. Noble Dead is set in a detailed medieval fantasy world, while Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter inhabits a noirish, sex-filled alt-St. Louis. -- Kim Burton

The F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigations and Anita Blake mysteries feature young women with supernatural powers who work with the police to solve strange murders. Vampires, witches, and ghosts are the major characters in these fast-paced cozies. -- Merle Jacob

Vampires abound in the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Anita Blake books, urban fantasy series written with a dark tone and troubled heroes. Both series are sexy, sensual, and violent, and populated by humans and mythical creatures. -- Jessica Zellers

Both series feature strong, quasi-supernatural, female protagonists with an eye for justice -- and steamy romance. Whether they're hunting mortal serial killers or fighting off killer zombies, these women are relentless and lethal. -- Mike Nilsson

Although the Guild Hunter series is more strongly focused on romance, both steamy paranormal series have strong romantic threads, and feature imaginative worlds and complex plots that enmesh the reader in an intricate web of paranormal politics, violence, and relationships. -- Melissa Gray

Those who enjoy the paranormal elements of the Anita Blake series Anita's may enjoy the Dark-Hunter novels. Each Dark-Hunters must each have a curse lifted from his head in order to live a normal life. Along the way they find love. -- Katherine Johnson

Patricia Briggs and Laurell K. Hamilton write contemporary paranormal fantasies that include elements of romance. Descriptive writing brings to life intricate worlds bursting with action (including graphic sex and violence) where the monsters live among humans. Urban fantasy fans will find these authors' works engrossing, page-turning reads. -- Nanci Milone Hill

Readers who prefer the humor in their dark fantasies should try Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. Fun, with fast-moving plots and a much lighter tone than Hamilton's works, Sookie's down-home humor entertains readers while she tries to catch the criminal. -- Krista Biggs

Both authors write intricately plotted, compelling, and violent paranormal fantasy series full of vampires, werewolves, and other dark magical creatures. Their novels typically focus on powerful female protagonists who fight against supernatural evils while also becoming involved in tense and steamy romantic relationships with vampires and other non-humans. -- Derek Keyser

Laurell K. Hamilton and J. R. Ward both write action-packed urban fantasies with multiple plotlines. Populated by humans, vampires, and other mythical creatures, their books are dark in tone, with sex scenes that are plentiful and erotic and violent encounters that are gritty and graphic. -- Jessica Zellers

If you enjoy zombies, witches, demons, vampires, and strong female protagonists, then Carole Nelson Douglas and Laurell K. Hamilton are perfect for you. Their atmospheric work, replete with mystery, danger, and amour, is satisfyingly intricate and absolutely compelling. -- Mike Nilsson

Laurell K. Hamilton employs a dark, graphically violent, and erotic setting with a tone akin to that of a hard-boiled detective novel. Yet the interaction between various supernatural and fey races with humans, combined with the smoldering sensuality -- have great appeal to Anne Bishop's readers. -- Katherine Johnson

Particularly in Laurell K. Hamilton's Vampire Hunter stories and J. D. Robb's Eve Dallas series, readers will enjoy Anita's (Vampire) and Eve's (Dallas) tough, resourceful, and strong personalities paired with their tortured and vulnerable states. While Hamilton writes more in urban fantasy, Robb features a futuristic element in Eve's detective narratives. -- Krista Biggs

Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher write about likeable characters in fast-moving plots with zippy dialogue, melding mystery and horror elements. Readers will find the romantic element often present in Hamilton's work to be rarer in Butcher's. -- Krista Biggs

Noted for romantic stories with paranormal elements, authors Laurell K. Hamilton and Sherrilyn Kenton weave myth and legend into enthralling plots featuring emotionally satisfying relationships. -- Krista Biggs

Lois McMaster Bujold and Laurell K. Hamilton frequently write about an individual finding his or her place in the larger society, presenting their characters with ethical and moral dilemmas. No matter what genre these authors explore, their stories are fast-paced, exciting adventures. -- Krista Biggs

These authors' works have the genre "urban fantasy"; and the subjects "vampires," "vampire slayers," and "paranormal phenomena."

These authors' works have the genre "urban fantasy"; and the subjects "vampires," "vampire slayers," and "detectives."